How to integrate SMS messaging into libraries?
Most librarians must have experienced the
difficulties of this profession. Probably there are cases when patrons do
not return books in time or you
cannot notify all the others about new services or available books. Would
you like to introduce a more efficient communication method that will help you
reach a wider audience? Then SMS messaging is the solution of your choice.
In libraries the greatest problem originates from the fact
that librarians cannot contact with patrons effectively. Therefore if there
is a book needs to be returned usually you send out a notification in e-mail.
But it is not sure that patrons read this e-mail in time. If there is a delay
in returning a book then others have to wait longer times...
To avoid these situations you need to introduce a solution that allows real-time
notifications and it is cheaper than telephone calls. This solution is SMS
technology that can be easily implemented in libraries. After you introduced
SMS messaging into your IT system you will be able to send (and receive) SMS
text messages to mobile phones. This functionality then will provide greater
flexibility and will improve your communication. Read more in this article.
How this solution works?
If you would like to offer a wide range of SMS services in
your library then introducing SMS technology is the best method to do so. As
SMS messaging is a two-way communication channel it will highly increase the
effectiveness of your communication. To solve book returning delays you can
introduce SMS notifications to patrons.
It can be realized with E-mail-to-SMS functionality. In practice it
means that you write your notification in your mail server
(like MS Outlook)
and send out as an e-mail message but the patron will receive it as an SMS
text message on his mobile phone. He can send a response SMS that will appears
as an e-mail message in your incoming mail box due to SMS-to-E-mail
functionality.
This solution ensures that patrons will read your notifications as 94% of SMS
messages are read furthermore it is the most discreet communication method
today. SMS messages are not intrusive as the recipient can decide about the
proper time to read the message.
Further SMS services can also be adopted after you implemented SMS technology.
Please find some of them in this list:
- Send SMS reminders
and notifications to patrons before they need to return
books
- Send them SMS newsletters about your new services/books, etc. Let your
patrons provide their phone number during the registration. But there is an other
possibility:
let them subscribe to your various newsletters on your web
site. Please see an example how patrons can subscribe to SMS news on these pages:
Subscribe to SMS content or
Node notification module.
- Launch SMS voting to know the exact needs
of patrons
- Send SMS greeting messages on special
occasions
- Introduce automated SMS services: it
allows patrons to send an SMS containing a keyword and your SMS system will
send back an automatic response. It can be a confirmation or an enquiry about
available books. If he sends the title and the author of the requested book, it
will be searched for in the database and the response will be sent out.
- Allow renewals or reservations of book via SMS
How to implement SMS technology?
To provide the above mentioned services you need to build your
SMS system. To start to build this SMS system you need to download and install
Ozeki NG SMS Gateway to your computer. This is
a software product that will ensure SMS functionality in your IT environment.
If you wish a system that is able to handle great numbers of messages it is the
software of your choice. Ozeki NG SMS Gateway has an outstanding capacity so you
can work with lots of messages and it will ensure a reliable service. It supports
E-mail-to-SMS and SMS-to-E-mail functionality
as well. If you want to send longer messages that 160 characters (this is the
maximum of SMS text messages) Ozeki NG SMS Gateway is able to treat multi-part
messages in a professional way.
Figure 1 - SMS solutions for Libraries
In summary...
If you decide to implement SMS messaging in your IT system based
on Ozeki NG SMS Gateway you will receive a stable and well-functioning system.
With this solution you will be able to introduce various SMS services that will
make your work easier. SMS services allows you to reach a wide audience in real
time but in a discreet way. This is the right solution to engage more patrons
with your library as comfortable solutions will save them valuable time.
Now visit our Product pages where you can know
Ozeki NG SMS Gateway in details and you can get a free trial to test the
system
If you have any further question please do not hesitate to contact us at:
info @ ozekisms.com.
Further reading:
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